Albany, NY – On the first day of General Conference Budget Committees, NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced the appointment of Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D, WF-Queens) as a member of the Budget Conference Committee for Education.

“I am honored to be appointed to the Assembly’s Budget Conference Committee for Education and thank Speaker Heastie for entrusting me to carry out this crucial work,” said Rozic. “I have long advocated schools and students and will ensure that every student has access to a high-quality education, regardless of where they live, what language they speak, or what community they come from.”

As a member of the Budget Committee for Education, Assemblywoman Rozic will focus on fully funding schools, school-based health centers, and expanded Teacher Centers. She will also advocate for early college program funding and support for nonpublic schools for STEM and art instruction.

The Assembly’s State Fiscal Year 2023-24 Budget proposal would provide $34.3 billion in funding to General Support for Public Schools, an increase of $3 billion or 9.7 percent, over the 2022-23 school year. The Assembly’s proposed spending plan includes $2.6 billion to fully fund Foundation Aid for the first time since the formula was created in 2007. The Assembly’s budget would also eliminate the governor’s proposals to remove the regional charter cap in New York City and to reissue the authorization of “zombie” charters.

The proposal also includes $280 million in funding to make school meals free for all students in the state, as well as $2 million to expand the Specialized High School Test Preparation program to sixth graders in New York City. Also included in the plan is an increase of $6.5 million in funding for Adult Literacy Education for a total of $14.3 million, an increase of $5 million over last year.

Rozic added, “A budget is a statement of values that shows support for students by investing in their education and expanding access to test preparation and resources. I look forward to continuing the work ahead as we approach the April 1st state budget deadline.”